It has long been recognized that knotting of strands to relatively small structures is a delicate, time consuming procedure, and particularly the connection of fine fishing lines to small fish hooks. It is difficult for large segments of the population to properly thread or tie the line to the hook. Older people, those who are disabled, and children especially have great difficulty accomplishing such a task.
Over the years, there have been various proposals for the formation of a hook structure that can be attached to a line or strand without tying a knot. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,331,101 and 3,604,143. However, the hook structures disclosed therein are relatively complex and, as a result, their proposed structures have not enjoyed substantial commercial success.
In my own previous U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,031, a fish hook structure is disclosed which provides a T-shaped projection means along the shank portion of the hook in combination with an eyelet which permits a strand to be secured thereto without a knot. While such a structure is eminently practical, it is somewhat costly to manufacture, and therefore it does not represent a particularly satisfactory solution to the problem.
According to the present invention, an integral attachment structure is provided for knotless attachment to a strand, the structure characterized by simplicity of design and ease of manufacture. That is, although as useful as the structure in U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,031, it is simpler and easier to manufacture. It will be understood that the structure has applicability not only in the design of fish hooks per se, but it may be also incorporated into the design of spinners, plugs, various types of fishing lures, and to other environments where a strand must be easily but securely attached to another component.
In accordance with this continuation-in-part application, the features of the fastening structure of my earlier filed parent application Ser. No. 916,237 are applied to lead-headed jigs as further described hereinbelow.
Lead-headed jigs are a type of fish hook structure which typically includes a lead weight shaped in the form of a lead ball, small fish, fish head, insect, or the like which provides weight to the structure. The lead weight is also formed with a closed eyelet for knotted attachment to a fishing line.
In each of the embodiments in accordance with this invention, first and second straight shank portions of a wire hook structure are provided between which a lead weight (which may be of any suitable shape, such as a ball or the like) is attached. The first shank portion of the wire is that portion between the forward hook and the lead weight, while the second shank portion lies between the weight and the rearward free end of the structure. A connecting portion of the wire extends through the lead weight. Additional structure is provided on the wire, with or without cooperating structure on the lead ball, to enable, in each case, knotless attachment of a strand to the jig.
In one embodiment, a wrapping projection is formed on a ball-shaped lead weight and this projection, along with the second shank portion and a substantially closed loop portion formed on the wire hook, provide the required structure for achieving knotless attachment.
In a second embodiment, the second shank portion of the wire hook is doubled back to form a loop which terminates in a bent free end which engages or is spaced only very slightly from a projection formed on a lead ball to enable a looped strand to be drawn into the wire loop and thereafter wrapped a number of times about the ball projection.
In still another embodiment, a lead ball is provided without any projection, so that a strand would normally be looped around the forward end of the ball, wrapped a number of times around the second shank portion, and drawn into a substantially closed loop formed at the rearward free end of the hook structure.
In still another embodiment, a double open loop arrangement is formed in the hook structure forward of a lead ball in the first shank portion so that a strand may be pulled into the forwardly facing loop and thereafter wrapped around the second shank portion and drawn into a substantially closed loop formed at the rearward free end.
In another embodiment, a rearwardly opening loop is formed in the wire structure as it exits from a lead ball immediately adjacent the second shank portion, so that a strand may be drawn around and below the loop, i.e., between the loop and the lead ball, and thereafter wrapped around the second shank portion and threaded through a substanially closed loop as previously described.
In still another embodiment, an attachment loop is formed as the wire exits from a lead ball formed with a wrapping projection thereon. The free end of the wire in this embodiment is directed toward the hook at the forward end of the wire structure and turned back at its free edge to form a barb to hold bait such as a worm thereon in spaced relationship to, but in general alignment with, the hook at the forward end of the structure.
In a still further embodiment, an attachment loop is formed as the wire exits from an irregularly shaped lead weight formed with a worm retaining barb thereon which cooperates with another bar formed at the rearward free end of the wire structure.